First oil exhibit opens at National Museum
DPI, Guyana, Thursday, January 16, 2020
Ten lucky persons will have the chance to win a vial containing a sample of Guyana’s first crude.
This was announced by Director of Energy Dr. Mark Bynoe on Thursday evening. The Energy Director was at the time delivering remarks at the official launch of the Commemorative First Oil Public Exhibition at the Guyana National Museum.
To enter, participants must take a selfie of themselves or with a group of friends in front of any part of the exhibit and upload it to their Facebook page and tag it to the Department of Culture as well as the Department of Energy. The competition runs until February 11.
The photograph with the most likes or shares will win a vial.
According to Dr. Bynoe, the exhibit “is designed to ensure that the young people of Guyana and anyone else who visits the museum in the future will be able to see the actual first drop of oil which was produced on Guyana’s first petroleum day, December 20, 2019.”
The First Oil exhibit provides an opportunity for Guyanese to learn more about the petroleum sector. It includes newspaper headlines after May 21, 2015, when ExxonMobil and its co-ventures announced the discovery of oil in commercial quantities at the Liza-1 well, and December 20, 2019, when Guyana officially became an oil-producing state. It also includes a scale model of Guyana’s first Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading Vessel, the Liza Destiny, as well as a sample of Guyana’s first sample of crude.
Dr. Bynoe noted that the Government is keen on ensuring that the public can understand and experience firsthand as many aspects of this national endeavour as possible.
In brief remarks, Country Manager for ExxonMobil, Rod Henson stated that first oil represents the culmination of years of hard work and the beginning of a new journey for Guyana. “It’s been a journey that should be recorded and shared with future generations.”
He added that ExxonMobil and its co-ventures Hess and CNNOC are proud to collaborate with the Government of Guyana on the exhibit as “it provides an additional opportunity to recognise the efforts of all those involved such as Shiv Outar, the young Guyanese technician who tested the very first sample of oil produced from the Liza Destiny.”
The event was attended by Minister of Natural Resources, Hon. Raphael Trotman, Minister of Agriculture with responsibility for Rural Affairs, Hon. Valarie Patterson-Yearwood, Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr. George Norton, members of the Diplomatic Corps and special invitees.
The opening of the exhibit is one of two events in commemoration of first oil.
Tomorrow evening (Friday, January 17) the Guyana Defence Force in collaboration with ExxonMobil will host a firework display at the Kitty foreshore in honour of this historic milestone. Members of the public are invited to view the spectacular show which is scheduled for 10:30pm.